Can a Company Demand a Notice Period When I Only Have an Offer Letter? Seeking Advice

Dear Seniors, I was given an offer letter by a company, but the location was not suitable for me. After a discussion over the phone, they agreed to give me the location that I wanted. Thus, I joined them.

After 4 days, they asked me to travel to different locations, and I did not like the culture of the company nor my role. So, I just sent a two-line email stating that I will not be continuing with them.

They did not issue me any appointment letter, and I was working based on an offer letter. Even the company ID card was not issued to me.

Now, the head of talent acquisition sent me an SMS stating that I need to serve a notice period of 1 month.

I told him that I don't have any document stating that. He said he wanted to give me the appointment letter, but since I did not work, he was not able to provide it to me.

He mentioned that since the company bought a desktop for me, I have to pay for the one-month notice period.

Please help me with this as I don't want to be harassed by this company.

Since you've made up your mind once and for all not to continue with the company, it's better to pay the notice salary and make your exit smooth and cordial.

Dear, you don't need to be worried. Normally, an offer letter doesn't carry any legal terms and conditions, and as you didn't sign any appointment letter, you are not liable to fulfill any terms and conditions imposed by them on you, provided you didn't sign any other documents related to your retention in the company. So, don't worry about the phone calls. They can't do anything.

Also, leaving a company in a short period of time is not appreciable at all. If you didn't like the company's culture, job location, or profile, then you could have sat with them and discussed the issues. Writing an email from home without discussing the matter with them is not good. Remember, whenever you leave any job, maintain a good relationship with the employer because you never know; this employer may turn out to be of some help to you in the future.